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You must find time for reading, or surrender yourself to self-chosen ignorance.
Confucius
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Reading is essential for knowledge, and neglecting it leads to ignorance.

Confucius emphasizes the importance of reading as a fundamental way to gain knowledge and prevent ignorance. He asserts that individuals must prioritize time for reading; otherwise, they are willingly choosing to remain uninformed and unaware of the world around them.

Themes

ReadingKnowledgeIgnoranceEducationSelf-Improvement

In practice

Example use cases

In an educational seminar about lifelong learning, emphasize the need for dedicated reading time.

More from Confucius

Speak the truth, do not yield to anger; give, if thou art asked for little; by these three steps thou wilt go near the gods.
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Earnest in practicing the ordinary virtues, and careful in speaking about them, if, in his practice, he has anything defective, the superior man dares not but exert himself; and if, in his words, he has any excess, he dares not allow himself such license.
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When you see a good person, think of becoming like her/him. When you see someone not so good, reflect on your own weak points.
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Never give a sword to a man who can't dance.
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The superior man is distressed by the limitations of his ability; he is not distressed by the fact that men do not recognize the ability that he has.
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Success depends upon previous preparation, and without such preparation there is sure to be failure.
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Similar quotes

To be taught to read—what is the use of that, if you know not whether what you read is false or true? To be taught to write or to speak—but what is the use of speaking, if you have nothing to say? To be taught to think—nay, what is the use of being able to think, if you have nothing to think of? But to be taught to see is to gain word and thought at once, and both true.
John RuskinRead
The drawing teacher has this problem of communicating how to draw by osmosis and not by instruction, while the physics teacher has the problem of always teaching techniques, rather than the spirit, of how to go about solving physical problems.
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It is essential that we enable young people to see themselves as participants in one of the most exciting eras in history, and to have a sense of purpose in relation to it.
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And read… read all the time… read as a matter of principle, as a matter of self-respect. Read as a nourishing staple of life.
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History must share with reading, writing and arithmetic first rank as the most important subjects in the curriculum. Understanding the issues on which citizens of a republic are expected to vote is impossible without an understanding of the past.
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